


We Were There

by Alkarinque



Category: The Silmarillion and other histories of Middle-Earth - J. R. R. Tolkien
Genre: Gen, Letters
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-14
Updated: 2018-12-14
Packaged: 2019-09-18 07:27:27
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,886
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16990635
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Alkarinque/pseuds/Alkarinque
Summary: Four letters from his brothers written to Caranthir and one letter from him, not written to any of them.





	We Were There

**Author's Note:**

> I said I would write a sequel to 'I'd sit alone and watch your light', but it seems I never do as I say I will.
> 
> This is wholly in letter-form, so no characters actually appear. It takes place shortly before and after the Haladin was attacked by Orcs and saved by Caranthir's people, so year 375 (if anyone keeps track of the years). It doesn't actually say much about Haleth, but is more what I imagine the brothers wrote to each other about. An exploration of their relationship in Middle-Earth before it starts to really turn bad (aka Bragollach and Nirnaeth and Doriath). It is also an exploration of Caranthir, because of all the brothers he might be my favourite.

Dear brother,

I hope your trade is going well and the company from Belegost arrived safely to Helevorn; Azaghâl wrote to me and mentioned their departure. One of them is his nephew so be careful and behave – we need to stay on good terms with them and especially you, who live so close to Ered Luin. So far you seemed to have managed so I will not ask Azaghâl how it went.

The messenger you sent a few weeks ago arrived today. I see you mean to raise the cost of gold even for us, your brothers. Is that so wise? I myself have little problem with it but it might stir Curufin and Celegorm. Last time it took several months before they had settled with your new price and that only with Maglor’s help. _You_ certainly did very little to keep the peace.

Another part of your report I noticed was your brief mention of the trouble that has befallen your Mannish settlers. Was it intentional to keep it so short? How many are they? If they are as great a people as the people of Bëor we might have to consider them allies and help them in their need. Your unwillingness to contact them throughout these years might be excused if you do. Both our uncle and Fingon have high opinions of them and their service in the war against the Enemy. Not to say Finrod, but I know that will do little to convince you of their goodness, if not make you certain of the opposite.

I plan to call all of us to Himring in three months. I will send a messenger with a proper invitation. I hope to see you then brother, for it has been long since.

Greetings,

Maedhros, Lord of Himring

 

 

Dear Caranthir,

I finally found the time to write! The Orcs have kept me busy for the last couple of days and there is little time on horseback or in tents on the plains to sit down and send a few words to family.

I heard from Maedhros of the Men and their trouble. I also heard of you helping them. My captains tell me strange rumours of these newcomers, though Maedhros only tell me of their supposed good use. Allies, allies, allies. How I am starting to tire of the word! It is necessary, but I wish to have a conversation which does not revolve around our dear neighbour in the north or his intentions to crush us. That I meet every day from my soldiers.

But have you spoken more to them? Or have you kept it short and brusque - despite you saving them -, as you seem to do with your family? They will not go away just because of that, I hope you are aware. They seem to do well in hard times, despite their weakness. Or perhaps they just reproduce much faster than we do.

How are you? I often wonder how it is to live in that fortress of yours by the lake, stuffed in-between those mountains in winter. Must be dark and damp, I suspect. But perhaps you like it that way? I am afraid I do not know if you do, for you do not write about how you live or what you think.

Curufin is enraged about your new price on gold. Could you not have saved it for Maedhros’ meeting in two months? It would have been delightful to watch him turn red right before my very eyes. Imagination can only tell so much, after all. Then I could also have told him how nice his earrings look. You know how irritated and proud he becomes at the same time when one hints at how our nephew’s skills with the hammer is surpassing his own.

Please write back as soon as you can. I look forward to seeing you at Himring. I hope you intend to come.

Warm regards,

Maglor

 

 

Brother,

I suspect you already know of my reason to write to you. You greedy bastard! I know you treasure gold and riches but to crave it of your own family? Father would be upset, but I know you do not care even of such an offense. You sit in your castle in the east, hoarding those metals and works from the dwarves and forgetting our coming here! I bet you feel safe from the Enemy, grandfather’s murderer. Or have you forgotten even that?

I have heard of your new allies. I have also heard you have yet to drive them away. You should; they will do little in keeping the Orcs away. Rather the opposite, I believe – do not Morgoth have a better reason to attack you if your land hosts two of his enemies? Or are you such a pawn to our dear older brother that you will let them stay? Only because our half-cousin thinks highly of them does not mean they are worthy of our trust or friendship, whatever Nelyafinwë says.

So you have responsibility over Men now? Shall you become their caretaker as they try and fail like children to survive? Your wife and mother always agreed on that you had a nursing side, how repulsive that they were right. You can barely keep contact with your own family without combusting and all you do is making us fight for something we should share with each other.

Draw back your price. If it is yours it is mine. Do not dare treat me like you do our blond half-cousins or those dark elves in caves.

And I will see you at Himring,

Curufin, Prince of the Noldor and Lord of Himlad

 

 

Dear Carnistir,

Will you come to Himring? Last time you did not, Celegorm found the horses to aggravate and my own halted for months because he rode it too hard. He has grown viler and can hurt animals just as much as he can help them, nowadays. I would like to see you, too. I do not like Thargelion’s mountains and you seldom leave them and venture into the forests. You even more seldom leave the land to see us. Or me, to be specific.

My scouts have seen traces of the Men in your land. They are few but still leaves more marks than we ever did. They have little, according to the reports. No wonder the Orcs attacked them – they are easy prey. I hope you met and spoke to them further – Curufin may say whatever he wishes but in Estolad I have met many friendly and good-natured men and women. Of course, I have also met many awful ones. Despite all that, my scouts also told me of their moving away. They crossed my land on their way to what I assume is Estolad? Should I take that as a sign to you offending them in any way or threatening them? I hope not, for that is more Curufin and Celegorm’s way.

I plan to travel more south after the meeting at Himring. Perhaps even south of Doriath. I have heard the summers are close to what they were in Aman. Do you wish to accompany me? Or is the duty to Fëanor too great in you, so that you must stay and so vigilantly keep watch north? The Enemy will come whether we want it or not. I do not understand why we even came here. I think Amrod did not either.

Amras

 

 

Dear Lady Haleth,

From our brief meeting in my land I understand you have not learnt how to read. Yet, I hope you have found someone in Estolad who can, for I dearly wish you to know what I have written to you. Do not take my writing as an insult or an insinuation of your incapability, just know I do not know how else to inform you. I do not have the opportunity to ride to Estolad and I have heard of your planned relocation further west, where I undeniably am unwanted both by myself and my kin. Therefore, I chose to write a letter to you as I fear the information will not get to you otherwise.

Know that I am not insulted by your refusal to settle in my land or hurt by your pride. My family, which you will soon hear more of if you have not already, is known to have much of it and despite my withdrawal from them, pride is something I can respect. Many wise of my people would say pride in hard times will be irresponsible, especially if one has a people to lead, but I find it admirable. One may do many irresponsible things whether one is proud or not and if one is proud, it will do little to tell them so.

As I wrote, you will probably soon hear of my family from the people of Estolad. We are the ones settled most east of the Noldor. The Noldor, I told you when we last saw each other, are a people not wholly native to this land. The Sindar and Silvan elves you may have encountered in the forests on the way here are the natives, though my people also passed through these lands once and should, according to me, have as much right to it. Perhaps you have met Finrod Felagund, or Nóm, as I have heard he is called by your kin. He is my half-cousin and related to the king of the Sindar. Blond and friendly, but sometimes impertinent in his curiosity. My advice is to befriend him, if you can stand him. His contact with Elu Thingol, the Sindar king, may help you. Unfortunately, my own contacts are … limited and my uncle, the king of the Noldor, resides in the north, an area you told me you have little interest in. My other family relations do not look at me with much warmth, for good reasons.

I told you of the crimes me and my brothers committed in our coming here. I do not think you fully understood what it means for my people to kill kin. ’Kin’ is not just your family, but your people. Not only the people you rule, but the kindred you belong to. And you do not kill them. I tell you this, because if you ever deal with the Sindar or the rest of my kin it is an important piece of information to have. You see, it was Thingol’s kin I killed. I shall regret it to the end of my days.

This letter’s purpose was not to tell you all this. When I sat down by my desk, I intended to keep it short and simple, as I do with my brothers, but I am afraid you had to listen long until you reached what I had in mind to write.

I simply wanted to wish you luck. I hope you are well when this letter finds you. I once again send my condolences for your brother and father. Their graves remain clean and undefiled. I hope fate keeps you safe and that you will never have to meet more of Morgoth’s foul Orcs, or be faced with the unfortune they bring yet again. But knowing said fate, and this land, I know that is not likely. 

Sincerely,

Caranthir, Lord of Thargelion

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you liked it! Comment or give it a kudos if you did - I would appreciate it.


End file.
